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Casseth smiled as his racing heart finally settled down. His fingers moved to grip Lith’s hips as he straddled him. “Compromise is good,” Cas whispered as he let his fingers trail lightly up Lith’s sides. When Lithian leaned down to trail kisses along his jaw, Cas tilted his head to the side, giving Lith better access to his neck, fingers trailing back down and gripping harder at his hips. “Mmm...yes, trying is good.” Cas smirked as he moved a hand up to tangle into Lith’s hair and tug him over for an open mouthed kiss.

The heat of the desert usually didn’t bother Casseth as much as Lithian, but on this day the hood of his cloak was raised as well. The heat of the day beat down on them and it seemed as if it was the hottest he’d seen the desert in some time. His wings twitched as he felt a very slight shift in the ground below and slowly felt the ripple of magic, much like his own, travel towards them. He brought his hastar to a halt, frowning as he glanced out over the desert — it was largely undisturbed. Just as he was about to turn to Lithian, to say something, the ripple, in both the ground and magic, became larger and suddenly, a dragon was breaking free of the ground.

Casseth watched as Lithian’s hastar bucked, surprised at the sudden burst of sand and dragon in front of him. He pulled back on his own hastar’s reigns, legs gripping as it pranced around. He growled as Lithian was thrown from his mount’s back and sand came raining down on him. His own beast was forgotten as he threw himself off and ran towards his mate. Already he was pushing out with his magic, creating a barrier of the sand itself, keeping anymore of it from falling on both him and Lithian.

“Are you alright?” Cas asked, hurriedly as he fell to his knees beside Lith and began running his hands over him, checking for any injuries he might have gotten from being thrown off the hastar. “Damn it, I felt that ripple. I should have sai…” The sound of the sand barrier cracking cut Casseth short and his gaze jerked over just in time to see a crack form in the sand and for it to crumble to the ground. Cas cursed as he came eye to eye with two large gaili dragons, ready and angry.

He shoved with his magic, sending a wall of sand barreling down on one of the dragons and shoving it away. He spread the fingers of his left hand, reaching for his axe, at the same time, with his right. The sand from the wall spread, growing around the dragon and trapping it as he took off after the second dragon, axe swinging wide and slicing into its side just as it jerked away. He kept his concentration split, wanting to keep the first dragon busy with the wall of sand while he chopped away at the one in front of him. Another swing ended up as a miss and Casseth cursed again, gaze flicking, for a second, to the first dragon. He muttered to himself as he let go of his magic and took hold of his axe with both hands and swung. He sliced into the beast’s throat just as the other dragon broke free from the walls of sand.

The fight between the dragons and the two of them was quickly won and, for that, Casseth was grateful. He retrieved his hastar and brought it back to where Lithian was standing with his. “Bath…” Casseth repeated the word, eyebrow raising as he smirked at Lithian. “That sounds wonderful, hm?” He plucked at the outer layer of sand covering Lithian, picking each grain of sand, buried deep in his clothes and hair, and flicking it out and away from him. “You’re sure you’re alright?” he asked again, moving in close to tug Lith down for a kiss before he even had a chance to answer.

“‘An’ open field,” Lithian repeated dubiously after the dovaa leader had dismissed them and they were, again, out of earshot. “Which field? Where does he even…? We were gone for nearly two weeks and he can’t even…?” After a pause, Lithian huffed and then glanced to Casseth, abashed. “It just…strikes me as a little vague, doesn’t it?”

“He just left us here,” Lithian stated, trying not to sound like he was fussing, since that was hardly befitting of someone of master status — but failing. “He just…he walked out. Why…” Trailing off, Lithian glanced over to Casseth, finally processing his words, and after a long moment, he sighed, resigning himself to the perpetual oddity that was his dovaa leader and nodding. “I suppose that does make sense…asking, that is. Perhaps he’s done this before and the guards are accustomed to it.”

That in mind, Lithian pushed his confusions and frustrations aside and together he and Casseth started out of the room, asking the surrounding guards until they received more helpful and specific instructions and following those. Some twenty or so minutes later, thanks to the direct advice of those accustomed to Lord Ysaride’s antics, Lithian and Casseth were waiting outside of Astral City proper in a wide flat expanse of green sectioned off within the fields of Aloradhan.

At least, Lithian thought, after days upon days of blistering heat, sand, grit and absolute want of moisture, the crisp breeze, gentle yellow daylight and rolling, lush grasses were a welcome change. Despite the mild irritance of an hour’s wait after already having spent many days out hunting in the in between, of all locations they might have been forced to sit on their heels, this was preferable to a slew of other options. He said as much.

“At least it’s comfortable…and a nice change of view, after so much sand.”

Lithian glanced down, following Casseth’s motions as he stretched out and then humming, the corner of his lip edging up in a smile at his commentary. “Oh, I don’t know…” he said, stepping and turning to move between Casseth’s stretched legs, still standing for the moment. “What ever could we do with our time, out in an open field, all to ourselves, alone in the great expanse of space…” He crouched, his smile spreading as he perched his wrists on Cas’ shoulders for balance and leaned in, kissing his mate’s forehead, then nose, then lips. “I suppose we should behave ourselves at the very least. But other than that…” He tucked a kiss to Cas’ shoulder and then turned, settling with his back to Cas’ chest as he sat between his legs and leaned back against him, “…I am open to ideas. We could play tag.”

Lithian shut his eyes, relaxing into the touch as Casseth’s fingers brushed through his hair and then shivering at the nuzzle and kiss that followed. He was relaxed here. Happy in this moment, and for this slice of time, nothing could touch that. At Casseth’s words — and the following string of his actions — Lith hummed and smiled, eventually twisting to catch Casseth’s lips in another, proper kiss before giving up, shifting to turn fully, and leaning until he had Casseth on his back in the grass, himself grinning down over him.

“Perhaps we should make that our goal,” he teased, kissing lightly and lazily as he settled himself over his mate, well aware that things would need to remain at least this innocent — preferably more so — before the dovaa leader actually returned. “Kiss in as many places, as many continents, caverns, cliffsides, cities, fields and unexplored islands as we can find…”

They passed their minutes like that. Casually enjoying each other’s company. Trading kisses and words and easy silences like small treasures meant only for each other. Eventually, when figures did appear in the distance, approaching their way, they pulled apart, making themselves presentable until Lord Ysaride arrived. Two teachers which Lithian recognized only as those who worked within the fortress — not having studied there himself — flanked him, both of them carrying with them long, elegant staves which they began to set up as Ysaride greeted them.

Casseth grunted, reluctant to move any further away from Lithian. At Lord Ysaride’s words, though, Cas did as he was told and stepped away, making sure he was well out of the staves. He watched, giving Lith an encouraging smile as they waited for the ritual to begin.